The present invention relates to a preassembled intra-oral disposable rubber dam device for use during dental procedures.
Rubber dams for use during various dental procedures are well known. The dams comprise a thin rubber sheet material which is stretched over a frame and anchored with one or more clamps. The dentist or dental technician cuts one or more small apertures in the dam corresponding to the location of one or more teeth on which a dental procedure is to be carried out. The perforated dam is then inserted in the patient's oral cavity and stretched over said one or more teeth causing said teeth to project through the perforations. The dam permits a dental procedure to be carried out on the one or more projecting teeth while at the same time preventing foreign objects from being deposited in other portions of the patient's oral cavity and passing down the patient's throat. Also, the dam serves to keep the isolated one or more teeth and surrounding area aseptic.
Prior art rubber dams are illustrated and described, for example, in the following U.S. patents:
629,324--Allen PA1 663,507--Meguiar PA1 802,711--Schrader PA1 1,579,608--Haudenshield PA1 1,604,136--Stoloff PA1 1,292,133--Stoughton PA1 3,781,994--Hessengren PA1 4,544,357--Williams PA1 4,600,387--Ross
Prior art rubber dams have a number of disadvantages. They are awkward to use and are uncomfortable for the patient. The rubber dams have required the utilization of demountable frames and clamps which are difficult and time-consuming to use and add to patient discomfort. The frames have protrusions which occasionally project into the patient's nostrils or cheeks. The clamps are spring devices which, when installed on teeth, squeeze the delicate gum tissue around the tooth, requiring local anesthesia to suppress the pain. Furthmore, many prior art rubber dams must be removed before X-rays can be taken and then reinstalled, necessitating removal and reinstallation of the clamps which bite into gum tissue. The clamps are required to retain the rubber dam in place. The frames of prior art rubber dams maintain the rubber dams under tension, tending to draw the rubber dam off the projecting teeth and out of the oral cavity. The clamps, secured in place on usually several teeth, assure that the rubber dam will stay in place in the oral cavity with the teeth projecting through the perforations in the dam. The present invention avoids these and other disadvantages of prior art rubber dams.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide an effective, presassembled rubber dam device for use in any and all dental procedures.
Another object of the invention is to provide a preassembled rubber dam device at sufficiently low cost that it is disposable.
Another object of the invention is to provide a convenient rubber dam device that needs no separate external or internal frames and no clamps for the isolation of a tooth or series of teeth.
Another object of the invention is to provide a rubber dam device which, when positioned in the oral cavity with one or more teeth projecting through perforations therein, will remain in place without the need for clamps or other devices.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a comfortable rubber dam device for the patient which will allow the patient to swallow during the dental operative procedure but prevent the patient from swallowing or aspirating foreign objects.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a rubber dam device that allows the dentist or dental technician to take X-rays of the oral cavity and/or its contents without first removing the device.
A still further object of the invention is to give the dentist or dental technician a rubber dam device which gives him/her the choice of protecting and retracting the patient's lips or to having the device installed in an intra-oral fashion.
Another object of the invention is to provide the dentist or dental technician with a rubber dam device that assures a constant open oral cavity such that the dentist or dental technician does not need to continually ask or remind the patient to open his/her mouth.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a dentist or dental technician with a rubber dam device which will allow the dentist or dental technician to work simultaneously in more than one quadrant of the operative field.
Another object of the invention is to provide a dentist or dental technician with a rubber dam device which will assist the dentist or dental technician with management of difficult and/or pediatric patients without loss of comfort for the patient.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings.